3.4
Radar observations of drizzling stratocumulus with an eye on Cloudsat
Robert Wood, University of Washington, Seattle, WA; and S. Yuter, C. S. Bretherton, and K. Comstock
The EPIC Stratocumulus campaign provided a wealth of surface-based remote sensing measurements of drizzling stratocumulus in the remote subtropical SE Pacific. Measurements made using 8.9 mm (MMCR) and 5 cm (C-Band) radars on the NOAA Ronald H Brown are used to investigate the structural properties of precipitation in these clouds. The upcoming Cloudsat mission will provide, for the first time, global, long-term measurements of the light, but seemingly ubiquitous, precipitation from boundary layer clouds over the oceans. We use our observational dataset to address important questions regarding Cloudsat's ability to observe drizzle in a quantitative manner. Specifically, we attempt to make some headway in tackling problems such as Z-R relationships, spatial variability, vertical structure, and changes in the precipitation structure due to evaporation below cloud.
Session 3, MM-wave radar observations on cloud and climate - I
Thursday, 7 August 2003, 8:00 AM-10:00 AM
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